A view on sport from the grass roots

Grassroots sport is all about participating in some kind of sporting activity that you enjoy on a non-professional basis. The grassroots sports sector in the UK is extremely diverse and includes over a hundred different sports and a wide variety of privately and publicly funded organisations who contribute to the organisation and structure of the sector.

Our favourite grassroots sports at Rambler-77 are team sports and although we are committed to all the sports that make up this great movement you will certainly find a bias towards viewing and reporting on sports such as football, rugby, hockey and ice hockey.

A major part of grassroots sports for obvious reasons is participation by children and young people as this really is where it all starts. However this does not detract from the huge and enthusiastic participation from people of all ages up and down the country and the contribution many of them make to organising sports for others.

We all recognise the great advantages that sport holds for our health and wellbeing, both physically and mentally. To have these advantages throughout our lives has a much greater effect on our wellbeing than merely a slimmer waist measurement or a past-time activity to get out the house. Participation in sport from an early age helps to build so many positive factors for children, from the ability to work as a team or thrive as a high achiever to learning how to cope with both winning and losing.

Lessons for life

These attributes pay high dividends for everyone, helping people to cope with the inevitable highs and lows we experience throughout life. Learning and understanding that it takes effort and commitment to achieve your goals is the cornerstone of any sport and gaining the coping skills for success and failure, elation and disappointment can be played out many times on the sporting field in preparation for the big event of real life.

Children do not need to show an aptitude for any particular sport to be able to reap the rewards and participation is the key ingredient in realising the many benefits sport can provide in terms of health, wellbeing and the necessary skills for life. The secret to finding the most suitable sport for any child lies in casting the net wide across a wide range of options. Too many parents limit their child’s sporting activities to the small range that they themselves know of or participate in. Let the child choose what is best for them by offering them access to as many different sports as possible. Recognised best advice is not to place any pressure on your child to enjoy or excel at any single sport, rather, let them find their own niche.

The fun in sport comes from what a child enjoys doing more so than what they may be good at. Beginning their search starts with a simple task. Ask them what they think they would like to do and there is your starting point. Once they have tried the sports that come to mind they can also try other sports to offer a full and balanced experience of what is most suited to their likes and abilities.
Supporting the child through all the various stages of their sporting lives and achievements or disappointments is crucial to ensure their continued involvement. A variety of sporting activities will help to develop different attributes in a growing child, but it’s important not to overdo it and find an enjoyable balance between sport, study, social and personal time.

What we do

Our objective at Rambler-77 is to highlight the significant benefits to be gained from participation in sport throughout life. In doing so we focus on one of the most important aspects which is to encourage children and teenagers to get actively involved in sport as early as possible in the hope that it will become a lifelong commitment. As part of our focus on this subject we also examine the various organisations involved and their use of the funding they have for grassroots sport. We simply want as many people as possible to experience the many benefits and sheer joy that can come from regular participation in sport.